Even Though Hope Is Far From This Moment
by Hollyleaf The Black Cat
Summary: "You know hope is a mistake. If you can't fix what's broken you'll...uh...you'll go insane." — Furiosa questions whether or not what Max Rockatansky said is right on the night before heading off across the salt plains.


**Author's Note:** Again I have added another fic to my Mad Max Meets Blurryface fic series. This one's title comes from the song "Message Man." Enjoy!

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Laying in the driver seat of the rig, trying to get some sleep before they headed out tomorrow, Furiosa couldn't stop hearing the fool's words ringing in her ears.

 _"You know hope is a mistake. If you can't fix what's broken you'll...uh...you'll go insane."_

She stared over at him, unmoving in his sleep but his face was twisted in pain. He was probably having a nightmare. She's noticed he had them almost every time he slept.

She wondered if he'd spoken from experience when he'd said hope was a mistake. She wondered if in hoping to fix something or someone broken he'd driven himself to the edge of insanity.

 _But this won't drive me insane._ Furiosa could think of a thousand situations that had felt more hopeless that this that she'd gotten through, not totally unscathed but at least still sane. Her and her mother being taken, her mother dying, being branded, losing her arm, various battles through the years, etc. So crossing the salt plains to try and find a better place somewhere out there didn't seem like the _most_ hopeless situation.

The Mothers had told her that there had been some who had left them before, taking the same chance to find something better. None of them had returned; it could have been because they'd died out there but it also could've been because they'd reached a place too wonderful to leave.

Furiosa knew that it was more than likely the former but that was just a chance they'd have to take. It would be better than just waiting there for Immortan Joe to take the Wives and execute the rest of them.

She looked back the girls, and the War Boy, all asleep in the back. They looked at peace, all covered up and holding onto each other like children. All they had left in the world were two things: each other and hope. And she wouldn't take that hope away from them by telling them the chance of there being something better out there was honestly very low.

Thinking about chances, she rolled back over to look at the fool. Would he alright when they left? Surely he'd be able to get far enough away from there that he wouldn't be taken again or killed.

Why was she worrying though? After tomorrow morning he wasn't going to be her problem. They would say their goodbyes then she would ride off with a sparkle of false hope that somewhere better was to be found and he would ride off hopelessly denying that such a place could exist.

She had to admit though that the thought made her a little sad. It'd only taken a few days but she felt she could trust him better than some of the people at the Citadel she'd known for years, not that there were a lot of people she trusted in the Citadel to begin with. He was like a wild dog that she had took in and somehow had gained the loyalty of.

Of course it wasn't as if she just ordered him around like a dog. She respected his input which is why she knew he wasn't just being cynical when he said what he did; he was just being realistic.

All of a sudden she saw him twist and turn around until he jolted awake. He quickly jerked his head around to survey his surroundings and that's when he noticed she was looking at him.

He slowly laid back down, his eyes on her's the whole time. They just stared at each other for a moment, neither one speaking. Finally, she mouthed the word "outside". He stared at her confused for a moment but then just raised up, quietly opened his door, and hopped out. She did the same.

He walked around the rig to where she was standing by the door. She motioned for him to follow her down toward the back of the rig and he did.

They stood there for a moment in silence before she spoke. "Be careful out there, alright?"

He nodded but remained silent.

"If you leave about the time the sunrises, like we plan to, you can probably get far enough away that they won't come after you. I mean they'll probably be more focused on the girls but if we're far enough that they can't even see us I'm sure the next best thing would to get a full-life blood bag back."

More silence, another nod to acknowledge he heard her.

She sighed. He probably already knew all this but she just wanted him to know that he wasn't totally alone if he didn't want to be. They would all love for him to come with them but she knew someone like him probably only survived this long because they looked at the world with a most rational view.

"...Good luck finding it," he began, "A-A better place."

Furiosa smiled, softly, at him. "Same to you." She then held her hand out to him. "Thank you for your help."

He shook it. "I...um...you're welcome." He cleared his throat. "...Thank you too."

"You're welcome," she said.

They stood there for a beat longer before she said, "We should try to get some sleep."

He grunted in approval and off they returned to the rig. Neither was the type of person who found sleep easily, too much on their minds, so they both just laid there staring at the stars through the hole in the roof until the quiet rustle of the wind blowing the sand and breathing of the wives lulled them to sleep.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning, after loading the rest of what they needed, everyone said their goodbyes to the fool. "Not to late to come with us," said Furiosa as she hopped on her motorcycle.

He just shook his head. "Ah...like I said I'll-I'll make my own."

She looked back over her shoulder at the salt plains and then back to him. "Goodbye, Fool."

He nodded. She felt that's about all he ever did when he replied. _And good luck._ "Let's go!" she shouted and off they drove.

As they headed through the plains she felt the salt knocking against her goggles and tasted it in her mouth. She prayed that this wasn't all she had to look forward to for the next 160 days. If Furiosa was religious she would've prayed to whoever was out there to give her a sign that they would end up somewhere better.

Suddenly, her sign appeared. The fool rode up on his motorcylce and everyone slowed to a stop, confused.

Furiosa pushed her goggle on her head as he approached. He was unfolding a piece of cloth in his hand and then he laid it down in front of her. She noticed that in the middle of it, in red paint, was the symbol of the Citadel. He pointed at it.

"Alright," he began, "this is your way home."

She looked up at him in shock. Had he finally just snapped? "We go back?"

He nodded with a grunt that she took as a yes.

Suddenly the whole group erupted into talk.

"Back?" shouted Toast.

"I thought you weren't insane anymore," said the Dag.

"What are they saying?" asked one of the Many Mothers.

"He wants to go back," said another. "Back from where they came."

"The Citadel," began Furiosa. She couldn't believe he was suggesting this. Traveling the salt plains seemed like a hopeless endeavor but going back? They were sure to get killed. She could at least muster up some false hope that something better was out past the salt plains but she knew the only thing waiting for them by going back was a horrible death.

"What's there to find at the Citadel?" asked a Mother.

"Green," he said. Well...he was right about that.

"And water," said Toast. "There's a ridiculous amount of clear water and a lot of crops." That was also true.

"It's got everything you need," said the Dag. "As long as you're not afraid of heights." Again Furiosa couldn't deny that.

She kept turning around the words in her head as Toast explained how they retrieved the water. The Citadel did have plenty of good things but going back would be impossible.

Valkyrie pretty much voiced her thoughts. "It'll take two weeks to skirt the wall of mountains."

"No," he began, "I suggest we go back the same way we came. Through the canyon."

She shook her head and sighed. She assumed he'd stayed alive so long because he was a reasonable man but now she just believed it was dumb luck. This plan of his would surely get them all killed.

"We know it's open," began Toast, "He brought all his war parties through."

He shook his head. "So we take the war rig, we charge it right through the middle of them. We can decouple the tanker at the pass. Shut it off behind us."

She kept thinking. That would work to get them off toward the Citadel, if they even were able to make it through of course. But what about when they got to the Citadel.

The Keeper of the Seeds spoke, excitedly. "Come on."

Everyone began giggling but Furiosa kept her mind on the problem at hand.

"And how exactly do we take the Citadel, assuming we're still alive by then?" she asked.

Toast answered her. "If we can block the pass it'll be easy. All that's left are his War Pups and War Boys too sick to fight." Furiosa thought about that for a moment. Immortan Joe had probably taken all his healthy War Boys to get back the Wives. He wanted them back so bad that he probably hadn't left any spare bodies to guard it. Even if they were a small group she was pretty sure they could take out those left.

"And we'll be with Nux," began Capable. "He's a war boy. He'll be bringing us home, bringing back what's stolen as he's meant to."

Furiosa had to agree that the War Boys left would probably trust one of their own. Everyone turned to look at him.

He nodded at them. "Yeah...Feels like hope." Hope. One of the few things left in the world.

"Look," began the fool, "it'll be a hard day...but I guarantee you that a hundred sixty day ride that way...there's nothing but salt."

He looked down and fiddled with his cloth as he continued. "At least that way we might be able to...uh...we could...together...come across some kind of redemption." Redemption. The one thing she was looking for in the world. She thought about some of the things she had done working under the Citadel, some of the cruel things she had to do to good people. He was right; it they could take it, if they could get rid of the Immortan, then they could help the people called the Wretched. _  
_

He held his hand out in front of her. She stared at it for a moment and then looked up at him. He looked like he had a sparkle of hope in his eye, something probably very rare for him. The man who found everything hopeless bringing them some hope. How ironic; it was almost funny.

She thought back to the night before when he wished her good luck finding a better place. Maybe the Citadel would be there better place if they could take it. It'd might not have been rational but a part of her felt so hopeful that this could be done. Besides, if hope was a mistake then at least it was one that they would all make together.

So she grabbed his hand tight.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! ;D


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